Canaccord Genuity Plans to Name UBS Banker to Head European Arm

Canaccord Genuity plans to appoint former UBS AG banker Adrian Haxby head of its European investment banking arm, as the Canadian securities firm continues its push into the region following the acquisition earlier this year of U.K. stock broker Collins Stewart Hawkpoint.

In his new role, Mr. Haxby will oversee Canaccord Genuity’s investment banking business in the U.K. and mainland Europe, the firm plans to say in a statement Wednesday. He will report to Alexis de Rosnay, the recently appointed chief executive of Canaccord Genuity in Europe.

Canaccord Genuity parent Canaccord Financial Inc. is in the midst of an international expansion following the purchase of Collins Stewart, which is known for advising midsize British firms on capital-markets issues, mergers and other deals.

As part of that push, the firm has made a number of high-profile hires of late, drawing in a number of ex-senior officials from much larger competitors. In September, it hired Mr. de Rosnay, a former investment banking executive at Lazard Ltd. and elsewhere. It has also recently announced the appointment of others including Phil Evershed–a former CIBC World Markets banker — as
Global head of investment banking.

Mr. Haxby, 54 years old, spent 27 years at UBS before leaving the Swiss firm earlier this year. He held roles there including head of its U.K. Mid Market Group and co-head of European equity capital markets.

“His relationship-based approach and recent mid-market focus are extremely complementary to Canaccord Genuity’s growing client base and client-centered model,” Mr. de Rosnay said in the statement.

Canaccord, which operates in capital markets as well as wealth management, traces its roots to a venture-capital firm founded in 1950 in western Canada. It has expanded through a series of acquisitions over the years, including that of Boston-based Adams, Harkness & Hill Financial Group Inc. in 2006 and Genuity Capital Markets, a Canadian merger-advisory firm, in 2010.

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